


Not Bad

by fi_aria (dnks_girls)



Category: Gundam 00
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26070574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dnks_girls/pseuds/fi_aria
Summary: After getting out from a dangerous situation, Feldt reflected some things that made her think that her current life is not that bad
Relationships: Neil Dylandy/Feldt Grace
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Not Bad

**Author's Note:**

> Fic reposted from my personal livejournal (dated 12 years ago). The fic is originally a request from houkiwilder in lj. The setting is in Gundam 00 season 1

"Tell me why I have to do this again?"

Chris didn't even glance at her disgruntled companion for a second when answering, busy fighting with the horde of girls in a frenzy for clothes in sale. "I told you, Feldt," she said. "One, your clothes rack is so sparse. Two, your cuteness shouldn't go to waste over such unfashionable--AH! I've seen it first, you witch!"

Feldt just rolled her eyes and waited, knowing that Chris had already focused on her 'battle' again. After a few snide remarks at Chris by the other girls, a lot of cursing, and a maniacal laugh, Chris shoved something yet again at the pile of clothes she had in hand. She sighed wearily. "Do we really, REALLY have to do this?"

"Oh, come on, Feldt," Chris said while tugging her to the changing room. "If you can't do it for me, then do it for Lockon."

Feldt flushed adorably at that and muttered, "This has nothing to do with him…"

"Of course he has something to do with this! Think of him being smitten by your cute images, Feldt!"

Her blush deepened. "I-I'm not cute…”

"Yeah, sure, I agree with you," Chris said sarcastically, before shoving them to a changing room. She didn't heed the warnings to just brought three pieces of clothes inside.

…If she had to choose, Feldt thought that she could really pick doing chores for Sumeragi rather than be here with Chris. Mechanically, she changed her clothes into what her companion choose, and then changed into another, and another, and another, and another, until she just gave up counting. Chris just nodded and frowned, sometimes squealed and said how cute she was, sometimes yelled to the impatient line outside to just shut up. By the time they're finished, she just dragged her to the cashier and ignored the complaints and the scandalized stares from the women and girls waiting outside.

Feldt felt immense relief when Chris declared that they had done shopping today but remorse for Lichty and Lasse, who were 'in charge' of bringing their shopping bags. Well, at least Lichty looked happy that Chris said that she was very grateful to them.

"So, wanna go back with us?" Lichty asked.

"Hmm…. Nope, I still want to eat ice cream and have a girl talk with Feldt," Chris answered, making a forlorn expression seen on Lichty's face. At the same time, Feldt showed a wince and hoped that that 'girl talk' didn't entail into another shopping.

"Well, let's get moving, Lichty," Lasse grunted.

Feldt heard the man addressed sighed dejectedly, probably from the notion of having to leave Chris behind. She wanted to say that she wouldn't mind switching place with him, but even if she had the courage to say that, Chris already beat her chance by now dragging her somewhere else.

After a minute or so dragging her, Chris suddenly stopped when seeing a 'discount 80% all items' sign, and Feldt recognized the oh-so-familiar squeal that came out from her mouth. "May I pass, please?" she muttered before Chris even opened her mouth.

A look of pity crossed the older girl's face, and she said, "Fine, you may pass this. You looked really tired, and we've already stock many clothes for you, anyway. Do you want to go back?"

Feldt silently thanked God for the sudden kindness that Chris finally gave her, and said, "I think so…”

"Okay, but you have to find the others. You seem rather easy enough to be bullied by someone.”

"I’m not a child,” Feldt muttered with a frown. “But I guess finding Lasse and Lichty wouldn’t do any harm…”

Chris nodded at that. “Good, then I see you back home. Call Lockon if you had trouble.”

The latter remark that was complemented by a wink made Feldt blushed, and she muttered a goodbye to Chris before hurriedly leaving so that she wouldn’t get teased again.

As she went back, Feldt observed the town was in a New Year’s festive mood. She heard friends talking about an all-nighter to countdown the seconds to the next year together, parents buying toy horns at the side of the street for their kids to merry the party, and couples holding hands while talking about their resolution for the next year. She didn’t notice it before because Chris dragged her here and there, but now, without anyone distracting her, she felt kind of lonely with all the joy in the air to celebrate New Year. Would she be like this if she was born into a normal family? Maybe she would have enjoyed having a New Year’s party together with her friends, have lunch with her parents, and have a date with a handsome boy from the next class.

She shook her head to dispel the thoughts that were formed in her mind. What already happened, happened, and she was happy with her current state. Even though Chris and Sumeragi were very nosy, they were great friends for her as fellow females. And though she didn’t have any parents now, Celestial Being was her present family, and she really loved them. And when she thought about any potential lover… Feldt blushed at her train of thought, but she was jolted suddenly because she bumped with something.

Feldt looked up to see a fat, tall man wearing glasses leered at her. “Well hello there, young lady,” he said with an unexplainable glee while his eyes stared approvingly at her visage. “You should really pay attention to your surroundings. Especially when you’re such a cute girl.”

“I-I’m sorry, sir,” Feldt muttered, and then she dashed after giving him a bow.

But the man halted her steps by grabbing her wrist. “Slow down, honey,” he said with a smirk. “You seemed to be lonely. Won’t you let me accompany you?”

Something cold lurched at the base of Feldt’s stomach. “I-I have to go home, p-please let me go…”

“Aw, come on, I won’t bite you… Let me take you home, missy.”

“N-no thanks, I-I have a friend waiting for me…” she started to plead.

“But my company would really be more… fun.”

Feldt paled at the smirk that the man showed, and she started to struggle, but the hand on her wrist didn’t budge. She glanced at her surroundings, and she just realized that she had wandered into a deserted road. “Finally realized the situation you’re in, aren’t you?”

Feldt had fought many life-threatening battles, but she never found herself in this kind of situation. It felt unreal, like this was a nightmare that she would surely awaken from in a few minutes. But the grubby hands that still gripped her wrist painfully and her heart that pounded so rapidly now felt real, dispelling the hope that it was the opposite. She knew that she should scream when the man now started to drag her to an alley near the road, but her mouth didn’t want to move because of fear.

However, when that man started to lower his face to her, reflex suddenly took place. When the man suddenly crouched in pain after her knee hit his vital spot, Feldt knew that she had to say thanks to Chris for teaching her self-defense. She quickly ran away from the wincing man, and her feet brought her back to the crowded street. 

Feldt looked backwards, and she sighed in relief when the man didn’t seem to manage to chase her. However, she didn’t want to take any chances, so she started to walk again. As she turned around, she almost falls when she suddenly bumped again to another person.

She looked up, afraid that the man caught her again, but when she saw a familiar face, she nearly cried in relief. “Thank God….” She said, recognizing the man she now bumped as Lockon.

“Feldt?” she heard he said in surprise. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m okay…” she said, but she couldn’t seem to move her hands that clung to the green fabric of Lockon’s clothes. Her hands and feet were also trembling, and she felt tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes. Feldt was thankful that Lockon didn’t enquire anything again from her, just patting her head with one hand, and awkwardly circling his other hand on her waist. She controlled her ragged breath and tried to stop herself from trembling. The warm hands and Lockon’s scent help her mind to take charge of her body again, slowly but surely. It felt good… And Feldt found herself having difficulty breaking this moment for other reasons than fear.

She heaved a deep breath after a few seconds past, and then she dislodged her hands from him. Lockon inquired softly after that, “Feeling better?”

He smiled when Feldt nodded, albeit a little weakly, and said, “Let’s stop by to a café, so you can drink something. You still don’t look too good…”

“Can you please…just accompany me back?” Feldt asked.

Lockon frowned and then said, “Okay. I’ll walk you back. I don’t have anything to do now, anyway.”

Feldt nodded again, feeling a little bit relieved that Lockon would do what she requested. He also let Feldt clung to his clothes while he circled his arms on the spot just above her waist all the way back home, which made her felt like he was giving her some lifeline to hang to.

When they arrived at Ptolemy, Lockon did another favor for her by shooing the other crews who shot them a worried question when seeing her still looking frail. He guided Feldt to the kitchen and made her sit near a table while he appeared to brew something.

Not long after that, Lockon put a cup of tea in front of her, which smelled like chamomile. She sipped it carefully and felt all the tenseness she had gone little by little at every sip. 

“You look better now,” Lockon said after Feldt finished a half cup of her tea. He then settled himself to a chair beside her. He asked a question with a gentler tone afterward, “It’s okay if you didn’t want to talk about it, but do you mind telling me what happened?”

She felt a shudder when she thought again about what happened, but she nodded in affirmation. “It’s okay…” she said. She took a deep breath and took another more before continuing, “I’m separated from Chris after we’re shopping… And then, I bumped into a man when I’m thinking about… well, something.”

Feldt waited for a beat, and when she didn’t hear Lockon press her to say what that ‘something’ was, she continued, “And well… that man turned out to be a… pervert.”

Lockon interrupted her with a growl and asked, “Did he do something to you?”

She quickly shook her head. “No,” she said, and then shuddered again when thinking that man could’ve done that to her. “I… Fortunately, I learn some self-defense.”

“Good for you,” Lockon said after a relieved sigh. “I can’t say that you’re weak, but do be careful, Feldt…”

Her stomach suddenly full of butterflies at Lockon’s concern, and Feldt just nodded, worried that a squeak would come out from her mouth instead of an ‘okay’. That butterflies seemed intensified in number when Lockon smiled his blinding smile at her. “Well, we’re not going to underestimate you girls, but it’s better to bring the other boys or me if you needed to,” he said afterwards, and Feldt just nodded again.

Comfortable silence passed after that, with Feldt enjoying the warm presence that was Lockon, who was still there like he was mulling over something. That silence was not for long, though, for Lockon remarked something to her after a few minutes had passed, “It’ll be next year a few days again, eh? It will be the first time I celebrate it with Celestial Being.”

Feldt just smiled, thinking about the thought that she had before about New Year. “It’s also the first time in three years that I spend it with some companions,” Lockon said.

An ‘eh?’ came out from Feldt’s mouth. She didn’t think that Lockon was someone who would be alone on such occasions. He seemed to be… more sociable than that. The man in question just laughed at her reaction and said, “Is it really that surprising?” He chuckled a little before continuing, “Well, invitations do come from my remaining family and friends, but I… took a little distance with them after I decided to enter this organization. And I can’t really party because for the last three years, I have to prepare myself for entering Celestial Being… I really have to rest when I have time.”

When he said those words, Lockon looked like he was lonely. Like the time that he had before was something he missed, yet couldn’t be taken back. Entering the Celestial Being did require sacrifice, and Feldt suddenly felt fortunate. After all, she didn’t have to miss much because her parents already isolated themselves into the organization since she was a little. She wondered how it felt like for Lockon and stared at the man that looked so strong on the battlefield but now looked like he had to carry the world’s weight in his shoulders alone.

“Ah, sorry, I shouldn’t say something depressing after the events that you had to forgo today,” Lockon said. He smiled at Feldt, but she still saw the loneliness that was reflected in that smile. Without thinking, Feldt did something that she usually wouldn’t do even if she was paid for it—she kissed his cheek softly.

As soon as she had registered that she had done it, Feldt felt her cheeks heated, and she mumbled an apology while Lockon just smiled after he blinked out from his surprise. “Do I look that miserable?” he asked afterward.

Because she felt that she didn’t want to caught observing things to deeply and did things too rudely to comfort him, Feldt mumbled, “N-no, it’s um… Um… A… a giftbecauseyoucomfortme…”

Lockon just blinked at first, but then he laughed at what Feldt knew was a lame excuse. She turned her gaze downward, embarrassed at her own act, so she didn’t see Lockon move closer to her. But when she felt soft lips pressed to the top of her head, she looked up to see a grinning Lockon. “Well then, that’s for your cuteness.”

Her heart pounded when she heard the remark that Lockon gave off-handedly, and she suddenly felt like her body was sinking into a hot bath. She was surprised that she didn’t faint at that comment, which had just sent her flying. She felt lucky that Lockon didn’t make any comment. She felt that her expression would probably look like a volcano mountain waiting for eruption. Lockon just grinned wider instead, though it also not helping her heart.

“Why don’t we ask Sumeragi and the others to arrange a New Year’s party?” Lockon asked suddenly after a moment.

“T-that sounds g-good,” Feldt said, with her heart still pounding.

“Then let’s go!” Lockon exclaimed cheerfully, the lonely expression completely wiped out from his face like it was never even been there. “Do you think that our Gundam can be used to shoot fireworks? Maybe Ian could make it do that.”

Feldt chuckled at that. As great as that idea sounded, she didn’t want to think what Tieria would say if he heard that. Feldt listened to Lockon spread out his plans to her, all the while feeling comfortable with his presence by her side. Her mind traveled a bit while listening to him, remembering the thought she had before when she walked alone in the city. And when she shyly noticed that Lockon put his hand again at her waist, she couldn’t help to think even though she didn’t have any normal parents, or any normal friend and boyfriend, her life now is not bad.

It is not bad at all.


End file.
